3 Things to Do When Your Child Has a Mouth Injury

Don't Panic.... We’ve got you covered! 

As your dental home, one of the doctors from our practice is on call 24 hours a day /7 days a week for just this type of emergency.

• First, place a compress on area to absorb any blood and allow you to see what’s going on. Don't panic.
• Second, if there is a tooth missing, and you can locate it, place it in a Save a Tooth kit container, saliva, milk or water (in order by best choice) until you get to the dentist (some school nurses or sports coaches may have a tooth saving kit that contains a special solution to keep tooth alive).
• Third, contact our office answering service at (562) 377-1375 and the doctor on call will be contacted. The doctor will either tell you what to do or meet you at the office depending on the circumstances. Do not wait until the next day.

As parents, we are so excited to see our children reaching all the little milestones in their lives. 

Sleeping for more than three hours a night, first bath, rolls over, eating cereal, sitting up, crawling and then we see our child take their first steps! 

It’s so exciting and then... oh the things they can get into, the places they can go and the things in their way! It is so easy for them to toddle right over.

Our practice receives calls on a regular basis from frantic parents, just like the call I got in the evening last Fall from a friend who lives in San Diego. Her daughter, who had just begun to walk, had fallen and hit her face, there was blood all over her mouth and she didn't know what to do. So she did what most of us would do, call her dentist friend. Unfortunately, I had my phone turned off. (Since, I live 3 hours away she couldn't just drive her over. Pretty crazy these days that I couldn't be reached by phone but I wasn't on call for our office that weekend. I was spending time with my family paying no attention to my phone.) The next morning I listened to my messages and called her back. 

Here's the thing, as parents you are familiar with finding a pediatrician as soon as your baby is born. You take your child to see the pediatrician for routine visits and know that the pediatrician is also available when an emergency, such as a high fever or infection arises. Unfortunately many parents aren't given the knowledge of the same importance of having a dental home by age 1. Like the benefits of having a pediatrician,  the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child establish a dental home by age 1 year or when the first tooth comes in to the mouth.  A dental home allows your child to receive preventative care beginning at age one year, achieve a good oral health foundation, attain comprehensive oral health care that is continuously accessible-so when your child experiences a dental emergency your dentist is available and for referral to other specialists when needed. 

Did you know that most teeth are injured due to a fall that occurs indoors with household items such as stairs or tables? 

Here are some statistics about tooth injuries:

• Injuries to the front baby teeth are most common in kids 2-3 years old, since they are still developing their motor coordination. Tooth injuries are one of the main reasons a parent may seek dental treatment for the first time.
• Riding a bicycle caused more than half of the outdoor tooth injuries to children 7-12 years of age.
• Children older than 13 years were more likely to be injures while playing sports. Baseball and basketball were associated with the largest number of injuries.
• Last year the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimated that more than 3 million teeth would be knocked out in youth sporting events.

As for my friend, good news, she didn't panic. She managed to get the bleeding to stop by applying some pressure and her daughter’s teeth had not broken or loosened. We talked a bit about what she could do to manage the discomfort and reassured her that more than likely her daughter was fine. Before we hung up she asked what she should look for. I told her that we look for swelling and loose teeth but since that wasn't the case with her daughter she should just watch for discoloration or graying of the tooth and then ended with what I tell all parents of young children…establish a dental home for your child so that you have a local doctor that your child can become familiar with and have access to in the case of an emergency. When a fall happens the pediatric dentist is your guide to caring for that injured child. 

PLAY IT SAFE.

April is National Facial Protection Month. 

As we return to outdoor sports and other activities, April is an appropriate time to remind you about the importance of taking a few precautions to preserve your teeth and be protected from facial injuries, whether at a practice, at a game, or simply enjoying some fun in the neighborhood.  How can you play it safe? 

Check out this funny video of one idea of keeping our little athletes safe...
Click here

Ok... since we don't have that option....

• Wear a helmet. Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to one’s head.
• Wear protective eye wear. Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.
• Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin. Hockey pucks, basketballs, and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age.
• Wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports. Mouth guards can help prevent injury to a person’s jaw, mouth and teeth; and they are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury.

Every year, children and teens come to our office with dental emergencies due to knocked out teeth, broken jaws and other facial injuries during organized or neighborhood sports activities. For most of these children, these injuries could have been less severe or prevented entirely if they had worn a mouth guard, helmet or other protective head gear.

When kids don't wear mouth guards or protective head gear in sports activities, it's usually because parents and coaches are unaware of their importance. Many parents may not realize the potential for serious injury in an impromptu neighborhood game of basketball or baseball, or a simple bike ride.


Although mouth guards are now generally considered standard equipment for football and hockey players, they really should be worn during any contact sport. “Contact sport” is not limited to one player knocking into another, but encompasses any sport in which the player is likely to have his or her face come into contact with the pavement or other hard object. Kids who participate in soccer, extreme sports (BMX biking, skateboarding and in-line skating) and other common sports should wear a mouth guard and other protective helmets and equipment to protect them from injury.


In a recent survey, the American Association of Orthodontists found that 70 percent of parents said their biggest fear is that their child will get hurt while playing organized sports, yet 67 percent admitted that their child does NOT wear a mouth guard during organized sports including football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse!

April is the perfect time to get into the mouth guard habit.  Wear one at every practice and every game!